Joshua Green Official Coach Thread
Here's your personal Coach Thread, as promised. This is where you'll return to post all your "coach" questions as responses; I'll see them and reply. This first post is here to guide you through your first year on EN, so you can always come back here.
As you'll see in this forum, I handle all manner of edits and changes. So post away, know that I reply here usually M/W/F each week.
Power User Tip: Click the Star icon by the Title of this thread to subscribe, and you'll get email updates when I do reply.
Coach Notes
Your Races
- Ironman Chattanooga (2019-09-29) #IMCHOO_19
Season Outline
These are your recommended training plans, including the date you should start each one (sometimes you won't complete a full plan but transition to another one). You can change your plans on Final Surge by clicking on Training Plans / My Plans. Learn more about each plan on the Training Plan Central Page.
>> Last updated by Coach on May 25, 2019
- On 5/27/2019 Load the Bike Focus Block, 6 Weeks to end on 7/7/2019
- On 7/8/2019 Load the -- EN*Full Bike Focused to end on 9/29/2019
- On 9/30/2019 Load the -- Post Ironman Transition Plan, All Levels (4wks) to end on 10/27/2019
- On 10/28/2019 Load the -- Run Durability for Triathletes 1 (9 months out) -- 4 weeks to end on 11/24/2019
Your Notes
Ironman Florida 2012 (14:30)
Beach 2 Battleship WIlimington NC 2014 (5:55)
Ironman 70.3 NC -2016 (6:12)
Ironman 70.3 Raleigh - 2017 (7:19)
Ironman 70.3 Miami - 2017 (6:58)
Registered for IM Chattanooga Sept. 2019
I have been swimming 2x a week. I am up to 3000 yards
Biking 3 x a week up to 1.25 hours for the Saturday ride
Running 4 x a week avg about 18-20 miles a week.
Your Homework
Tell Me Your Season Goals
- What will make you consider this season a success?
- What's your biggest limiter right now?
Contact Points
As part of your journey to becoming a Self Coached Triathlete inside TeamEN, we are prepared to give you excellent support for your first 90 days. Our goal is to transition you from live, in-person support to using our digital resources and the Team to help you continue your progress as you execute your Three Year Plan.
These are all the key points in your first year where we must talk. Please remember to include your phone number.
- Welcome Call in Week One (set it up here)
- Coach Call in Week Two to talk about your season (set it up here)
- End of Trial Call -- We review your experience & Unlock Year One / Race Execution for you (set it up here)
- End of Season Call -- We review your year & Strategize for your End of Year Gap and Year Two (TBD in this Coach Thread)
Questions
- Coach Questions - Right here in this thread. Always reply to this same thread, it keeps a record for us as we evolve together!
- General Questions - Simple stuff can go to the Q & A Central Forum for the Team to answer. For example, Best Bike? How to improve run cadence? How to flip turn?
- Need Help? - Please check the EN Help Site first!
- Admin Questions - Billing or orders or whatnot? Use the red chat button at the bottom of the Members Site (not forums) or email us here.
- Specific Questions about a Race or Power, etc? - You can post those into the targeted forum for that topic. Power questions to the Power and Pace Forum. Race questions to your specific race forum, etc. Not sure where to post? Put it in the General Discussion forum and we will sort it out. Whatever you do, PLEASE ask your questions!!
For short or last minute questions, we recommend you use the Red Chat Icon on the main Members website.
We have also organized a complete chart of the best ways to contact us online here.
Your First Month on the Team
You have quite a few things to do when you start up. There are instructions on the top of the website, but you can review them under Resources / Trial Member Welcome.
Your First Year Inside Endurance Nation
This will be unlocked after your trial expires.
Looking forward to working with you this year,
~ Coach P
Comments
Coach P,
Thanks for getting back to me and loading the BIke Focused plan. I am still going through the site as it's a lot to cover since coming on board kind of last minute. You wanted me to answer a few questions for you before our phone call so here you go.
What will make you consider this season a success?
Finishing Chattanooga! Bottom line. I would like to finish better than IM FL from 2012 (14:30) but overall I just want to improve. Can I push myself beyond what I think I can to achieve my goal?
What's your biggest limiter right now?
Biggest is just weekend time due to kids etc. Our 5 year old gets us up frequently during the middle of the night so it is hard sometimes to turn right around and get my ride or run in. I like to get up early to get those long workouts in before the day gets started.
Again, thanks for the training plan and thanks to your team. They have been so supportive and such a breath of fresh air to feel such a community. I have missed that since my time from the military.
@Joshua Green Thanks for the notes; we missed our call window today (05/30/2019) but I am around if you have time later on. Text / call: (617) 513-3830
Looking forward to it!
~ Coach P
@Coach Patrick sorry we did not connect this morning. I had an a situation my boss wanted me to handle this morning. I am free this afternoon other than getting my workout in. My cell is 336-549-2055. Looking forward to our conversation.
@Joshua Green
Welcome to your SECOND MONTH inside Endurance Nation!
To help you continue your progress, we have a few short questions for you. You can copy the questions and put your answers in your reply to this thread (no need to copy the questions, just keep the numbers the same!).
** Rankings **
Please rate the following items on a Scale of 1 to 3 (1 = Unsatisfactory, 2 = Satisfactory, 3 = Great!):
** Subjective Information **
** Additional Learning **
Now that we are beyond the initial learning curve of Endurance Nation, it's time to give deeper into some additional resources that can really help you out.
You have several options:
** Need Coach Input? **
Don’t forget you can schedule a check in call with Coach Patrick online here: https://calendly.com/pmccrann/15min
Please rate the following items on a Scale of 1 to 3 (1 = Unsatisfactory, 2 = Satisfactory, 3 = Great!):
** Subjective Information **
@Joshua Green congratulations on the weight-loss, that is incredible! Way to do the hard, consistent work to make that possible. I know you feel stronger on the bike, but that weight loss will absolutely change things for you on the run even if it’s just on race day.
Basic math says that every pound loss is worth about four seconds per mile in an Iron Man run so there are benefits for a triathlon of any distance.
Don’t worry too much about the swim. While Blake and Run Fitness are built in a linear fashion, the swim often requires a single breakthrough to see greater gains. Hopefully you have the chance to do more open water swimming now to be race specific and find speed there in terms of sighting, cadence, and drafting. Keep me posted!
@Coach Patrick I hope you are doing well and had a great 4th. Just wanted to update you on my training. I've been dealing with a bout of plantar fasciitis this past week. I stepped on a toy that my daughter left on the floor and I thought I broke my foot but luckily I didn't. I've been icing and stretching over the past few days. I go to see my chiropractor who does dry needling and he usually works on my calfs pretty good. Other than that I am feeling pretty good. I hope you have a great weekend.
@Joshua Green oh my God, I so do not miss the days of stepping on randomly placed toys. I think the worst one I ever had was when my wife had bought this padded “weight bar“ for exercising instead of dumbbells. She had left it on the floor and I never saw it in the carpet and cracked my toe on it. I spent the next two weeks running around the block with crocs on trying to baby it back to life.
Hopefully it’s just a slight trauma that has activated your foot. Do yourself a favor and make sure that you ease back into the runs with one or two run walk sessions. In addition to reducing the swelling we just need to give the tissue a chance to get back to “normal” life. Keep me posted!
@Coach Patrick just a quick update on my foot. All is well and back to training. I am just trying to deal with the heat! So crazy hot in NC. I'm trying to balance life right now as we leave for vacation on Thursday for the beach. So I will have to do some adjustments to the training schedule as I will only be able to get some runs in. Overall, things are well. I feel good and I am down a total of 15lbs since the start of the program. Thanks for all of your encouragement and what you do for EN!
@Joshua Green
Welcome to your THIRD MONTH inside Endurance Nation!
This month we focus on helping you become more independent as part of your growth as a Self-Coached Athlete. Whether you are planning your season, preparing to race or transitioning to a new endurance challenge...Team Endurance Nation is ready to help!
If you haven’t done so already, please set up your Month Three Coach Call here.
** Training Focus **
We consider anytime in your season when you are more than 12 weeks away from your event to be a training focus. There are different phases of training (OutSeason®, General Prep, Sport Specific), but they are fall under the same umbrella.
Now that you are through your first two months of Endurance Nation, You have learned a few key “rules” of how we play the game, and you are ready to take charge of your experience.
Training Lesson Recap:
Taking Charge:
** Racing Focus **
Once you are within the final 12 week window to your event, it’s time to really focus. From key workouts to nutrition to logistics, there’s a great deal to cover. There’s a fine line between a great day and a day where you want a total do-over.
Key components of your final push should include:
** Additional Support **
In addition to The Forums and other Team-related support, you still have the chance to connect with Coach Patrick across your first year. Right now it’s time for your three month call with Coach Patrick; and you can book it here.
Tip: Find all your other call windows across your first year, please visit the EN Staff page.
Be sure to check out our Three Year Plan in Resources / Wiki so you can see how we recommend improving from season to season.
Coach Phone Consults
If you are looking for support above and beyond the traditional Endurance Nation experience, you can book a consult with Coach Patrick. These are billed at $100/hour and Can be on almost any training or racing topic. Please click here to learn more / get started.
Congratulations for moving forward with you training as your build to your race goals. We can’t wait to see what you are capable of this season!
Josh - That is great news with regards to your foot. Handling those situations midseason could always be tricky, I am glad that it has worked out for you.
Without a doubt, the heat and humidity are killer, and it’s not just you it’s across the US. Remember that training in those conditions actually forces your body to adapt and makes you hyper efficient in terms of racing in all manner of conditions. Just remember that as you are running one minute slower per mile and feeling like you’re about to pass out!
Feel free to go ahead and drag and drop the workouts around and final search to match your schedule and then bumper be here to take a look at it when you’re ready. I’m happy to help!
08/08/2019 Call notes...
Confidence level is good. Not worried about fitness Re finishing, now it's about execution.
See you in CHOO and stay safe!
~ Coach P
@Coach Patrick just checking to make sure you got my address that I sent. I hope you have safe travels to CHOO for camp. Sorry that I will miss you guys. It looks to be rather warm.
Josh - I have no idea what you mean about your address, but if you send it to Emily and I’m sure she took care of you for whatever it was? I hope things are feeling better… Shoot me an update when you get a chance
I received an email from you asking for my address to mail me my run singlet. I got it and love it. I will be wearing it on the run. Glad to hear you made it back from CHOO training camp with everything intact. I am doing well. Just trying to keep up with training with work being crazy. I work for a university police department and it has been really busy with the start of classes. Overall I feel good about where I am at and looking forward to doing some quality work before CHOO. I hope you have a great week!
Do me a favor and send me a picture! I am considering one myself, and would love to see how it looks in real life.
Given how crazy work is for you right now don’t be afraid to divide up the week: quality short sessions in the morning Monday through Friday, longer study Endurance on the weekends. You only have one or two more key bikes to go! Be sure to practice that nutrition.
@Coach Patrick sorry that I have not sent you a picture yet. I wanted to run in the singlet before I let you know what I thought about it. First it snugs you when you start sweating. So I've had to prep for nipple rub. I have another race shirt that wicks away the sweat so I may go with that the first half of the run then change to the EN shirt but I will have to see.
I took a break on Friday and Saturday. My wife and I went to the mountains and got away! The rest was much needed. I did get back on the saddle last night when we got the kids down. Just working on dialing everything in. I am starting to work on my pre race execution stuff and will work on getting it posted soon.
Can’t wait for the full story!!
~ Coach P
@Coach Patrick well I've had a few days to digest what happened in Chattanooga. I have 2 words, Survival Mode! I actually had a PR on the swim with a 1:13. My IMFL time was 1:30ish. I felt good coming out of the water and on the bike. I had in the back of my mind how to approach the course and take it easy on the first 20 or so miles and I felt like I did. The first lap I kept to my nutrition schedule. Water to pour over me, Gatorade, salt, Hammer Gel and felt good. I got to mile 70 and my right leg locked up. I mean complete cramp. I felt like I was in trouble. From that point on I stopped at every aid station for water to pour over me, Gatorade, bananas and to stretch.My legs continued to cramp often. It really boiled down to surviving to get back on the run. I had to slow it down and maintain. I felt that if I could get back I would make it on the run.
The run started kind of slow. I remember on one of the 4 Keys talks about walking that first hill and that's what I did. The first 3 miles were rough as I was trying to get my legs under me and get to feeling ok. At mile 4 something kicked in and I started to run to each aid station and then walk thru. I had to change up my nutrition and start taking cola sooner. I also had a bandanna that I can slide ice into. That really helped me. From your talk a few weeks ago I remember you talking about mile 7.5-8 there was a hill. Walked that and crossed the bridge to next aid station and then walked the hills. I was able to run everything else. I just kept telling my self to keep moving forward. I basically did the same on the second lap as well.
I am proud to have finished this race as it was hot and I could have cashed it in on the bike but I had to go to a deep place and tell my body to relax so that I would not keep cramping up. It was a weird experience but I never gave up.
I've had some post race issues that I am trying to get straightened out. Mainly with fatigue. I didn't get to see much of you guys there due to being with my uncle and I apologize. I do not get to see him much and he was super excited for us to be racing together. I actually think he has signed up with EN. His name is James Sanderson. I gave him a link to sign up but I am not sure if he signed up through the link or not.
I appreciate all of your help and guidance to get through this race. I know I was not the fastest but I finished. I learned a great deal about myself and how much farther I can push myself. Have a safe trip to Kona.
Josh
Here's your updated Season Plan, as promised. This is where you'll return to post all your "coach" questions as responses; I'll see them and reply. This first post is my best outline of how to proceed with your races, but you can ask any / all questions you want. So post away, know that I reply here usually Monday & Friday each week.
Power User Tip: Click the Star icon by the Title of this thread to subscribe, and you'll get email updates when I do reply.
Coach Notes
Your Races
Season Update
These are your recommended training plans, including the date you should start each one (sometimes you won’t complete a full plan but transition to another one). You can change your plans on within Final Surge by clicking on the Training Plans > View My Plans. If you need help manipulating your plans in Final Surge, be sure to check out our Help Site. Remember, you can learn more about each plan and find related plan resources on the Plan Descriptions and Resources page.
Your Notes
IMFL
IMChoo
IMNC 70.3
IM Raleigh 70.3
IM Miami 70.3Just finished a training cycle for IM Chattanooga.
Let's get to work!
~ Coach P
Coach P,
Thanks for updating the training plan. I submitted an update yesterday or the day before that I was thinking of running a half marathon in March, Tobacco Road Half. Not sure how that would throw off the run focus plan that you laid out.
Thanks,
Josh
No, it still works.Be out season is designed to prepare you for a half marathon so we will just have to work it in that week. Do me a favor and enter the raceInto your final surge calendar so we both have a visible reminder!
Coach Patrick, I hope you are doing well and it's awesome to see all the new folks coming on board EN. I am thankful for the team and those that post true life stuff out there. Just being honest, this off season has really sucked. Since IM Choo it's been really hard. I've battled depression due to family stuff that really is out of my control but my siblings make it about me. They want me to solve problems that I can't. I can't fix someones addiction but i get put in the middle of all of this. This is why my workouts have been hit or miss during the November, December time frame. I am in a much better place and I'm really trying to focus on my overall health and get back into the OS frame work. I just wanted to reach out and let you know what was going on and that I haven't dropped off the map. It's amazing how the mind can drag you down a dark hole and it takes everything you have to dig out. Luckily for me running has been my way of getting out of it.
Thank you again for what you do for the team and I am so thankful for the group of people that make up EN. I look forward to seeing what this year brings to the team.
Josh